Calyx (1986)
by Prescriptives

Calyx (1986) presaged the fruity floral era, and if considered as a fruity floral is among the most beautiful of the genre. But to my mind Calyx occupies a specific place in the evolution of the fruity-floral chypre. If Diorella is a certain distance further down the road from its predecessor Eau Sauvage (similar in distance to Cristalle from its predecessor Chanel pour Monsieur) then Calyx is further still on the same trajectory. It shares the gorgeous dissonance that makes both Diorella and Cristalle so beguiling. It gets there differently, though. Cristalle and especially Diorella find a fruit that’s just a bit too ripe. Fruit that’s at the point of jumping from sweet in taste to boozily aromatic in scent. Just a half step from turned

Diorella smells of both lemon and melon. Calyx, true to its Big 80s origin creates a franken-fruit of bergamot-guava-mango. Grapefruit? It doesn’t need to be over-ripe. It is simply effusive in the way ripe tropical fruit often is. Take the metafruit and add just the right rose, powdery but not too sweet. Then ground it in a bittersweet moss-labdanum chypre base and you have one of the most expansive fruity chypres you’ll ever smell.

The fruit remains present at drydown and is dominant in both the top and heart notes. In this respect, Calyx is the fruitiest chypre you’re likely to meet. Others have referred to the fruit note as synthetic. I’m sure it is, but no more or less so than Diorella’s melon or Femme’s plum. Calyx’s drydown is similar to Diorella’s in that it is classically mossy and austere with the phantom-lushnesss of the fruit remaining. A little smart decadence to get you through the day.

23rd July, 2011.

I smelled this on a close friend of mine in the 1990's and loved it, then ten years later I smelled it again and I was "over it". Now smelling it again, I'm back to loving it. Calyx reminds me of a body shop perfumed oil (probably discontinued) called Juba. For me to objective about Calyx is hard because it was first non-headache perfume that I can remember, so I will always love it for that. It spawned a host of imitators (much like Angel) so there must be something special going on here.
For me, this is a fun summer frangrance, that is fruity-sweet without being sickening, and fresh without being too aquatic. Maybe not for everyone but cool and wonderful for asummer day!

22nd June, 2011.

Screaming, high pitched, fruity floral, evocative of the late 80's, when you had stuff like Claiborne and Exclamation hitting the shelves. Calyx seems more complex than the to mentioned above. It doesn't seem as dated, either. It opens with a certain bitter green note, then later, smoothing out to a rounder sweetness that works for anytime of year. But, watch out!....it's really loud if you go heavy on the sprayer.

18th November, 2010.

I tried Calyx at Macy's and I instantly loved it. Mind blowingly fruity-green and somewhat sweet. It's just incredibly likeable ,fresh and clean smelling. Memorable.

25th May, 2010.

Calyx is the precursure to all the fruit-salad fragrances on the market, a pioneer fruit-salad in a bottle, so to speak. I fell in love with it back in 1986, because at the time Calyx was such a nice alternative to the Cinnabar-KL-Red Door-League.
Smelling it again today, I have to confess that I still find it better than the usual Escada Tutti Frutti Medly of the year, but I'd never buy it again given its artificial and out-dated chemical fruit-mix. Well, we all know you can "out-grow" a fragrance, can't you?

23rd March, 2010.

There’s an interesting green streak in the fruity opening of Calyx. The tropical fruits are kept in check by that slightly aromatic silver – green note, giving the opening just a hint of the tropics. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoy the opening… The floral middle turns into a soft fruity texture to me… I don’t’ really determine much of a floral accord… a little marigold and freesia, perhaps, but not much more. In the middle and into the base the main fruit I find is raspberry, which provides the fragrance’s primary sweetness. Calyx, though quite fruity, does not seem strongly sweet to my nose. The drydown is mostly musk and raspberry, giving it a deserved reputation for lightness and freshness. This is a refreshing and fun fragrance with light sillage and adequate longevity.

19th January, 2010.